The Language Warrior’s Manifesto: How to Keep Our Languages Alive No Matter the Odds

When the first Europeans made contact with American Indians more than 500 indiginous languages were spoken on the continent. Today, that number is closer to 150. To ensure their survival, Anton Treuer ’91 and other language warriors have been launching energetic interventions. Treuer, who has been at the forefront of the battle to revitalize Ojibwe, writes impassionedly about the relationship between language and culture, the problems of language loss, the inspiring stories of successful language warriors. He recounts his own sometimes hilarious struggle to learn Ojibwe as an adult, and he depicts the astonishing success of the program at Lac Courte Oreilles, where a hundred children now speak Ojibwe as their first language.